Twenty-one members of the Moir family gathered in Kinloch at the weekend to celebrate the life of George Moir, author of the first edition of the definitive tramping handbook Moir's Guide Book.
Alison Paterson, of Dunedin, one of seven first cousins at the reunion, said many family members had been active in tramping, climbing and adventure racing over the years.
Mrs Paterson said their ancestor was an agricultural chemist and academic, born and raised in Dunedin, who was also an active explorer and climber in Fiordland in the 1920s.
He also cut tracks for the Government's Tourist Department.
Among his climbing exploits was the first ascent of Mt Christina, at 2502m Southland's second-highest peak, in 1925.
Two Fiordland peaks near the Homer Saddle are named after him: Mt Moir and Moirs Mate.
The family was proud of their ancestor's achievements and lasting legacy, she said.
"He was an extraordinary person.''
What is the Moir's Guide?
• At age 30, Dr George Moir wrote the first edition of what quickly became, and remains, the definitive tramping and transalpine route guide to the Southern Alps from Fiordland to Aoraki-Mt Cook.
• First published in 1925 as Moir's Guide Book, it has been published in two volumes since the 1950s.
• The books contain detailed route notes to assist trampers, hunters and mountaineers.
• The most recent editions or revisions are Moir's Guide South (2007) and Moir's Guide North (2013). The former covers Fiordland and the Eyre, Snowdon and Takitimu Mountains, while the latter describes the area north of the Hollyford to Aoraki-Mt Cook.
